The New Normal For Classroom Instruction

Today’s teacher is expected to cover more content, at higher rigor, with significantly more student success (in terms of both height and scale) than ever before in the history of our profession.  This is a new model of teacher craft.  A model that none of us in school administration implemented consistently (if at all).

So if you are an instructional leader, QUIT talking about how YOU taught. It is no longer relevant to the discussion. Recognize this and work to coach your staff in the building of the new skills required to meet the new required instructional normal. Or you could always go back to the classroom to model how you believe it should be done.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “The Fundamental 5: The Formula for Quality Instruction.” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/Fundamental5 
• Now at the Apple App Store: Fun 5 Timer (Fundamental 5 Delivery Tool); PowerWalks CLC (Networked Formative Observation Tool) 
• Upcoming Presentations: LYS / TASSP Advanced Leadership Academy (Keynote); The 4^th Annual Fundamental 5 National Summit (Keynote) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

Top LYS Tweets From the Week of July 3, 2016

If you are not following @LYSNation on Twitter, then you missed the Top 10 LYS Tweets from the week of July 3, 2016 when they were first posted.  And if you are on Twitter, you might want to check out the Tweeters who made this week’s list.

1. Congratulations to LYSer, Chane Rascoe! He is the new Superintendent in Lampasas ISD!! Who will be next? (By @LYSNation)

2. Congratulations to LYSer, Dr. Jerry Gibson! He is the new Superintendent in Marshall ISD!! Who will be next? (By @LYSNation)

3. Congratulations to LYSer, Dr. Maria Casas! She is the new Superintendent in Brooks County ISD!! Who will be next? (By @LYSNation)

4. Congratulations to LYSer, Dr. Marc Puig! He is the new Superintendent in Beeville ISD!! Who will be next? (By @LYSNation)

5. Congratulations to LYSer, Dr. Sylvester Perez! He is the new Superintendent in Edgewood ISD!! Who will be next? (By @LYSNation)

6. Our job is to coach our Teachers to teach better than we taught! (By @robert_l_butler)

7. The way we speak to kids becomes how they speak to others as well as how they think about themselves. (By @justintarte)

8. When all things are equal, adult practice drives student performance. (By @GarrettRachelE)

9. Equality means giving everyone a shoe. Equity means giving everyone a shoe that fits. (By @Snowmanlearning)

10. In all our endeavors we can be anything we want to be. Let's BE kind to one another. (By @clwilkens)

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “The Fundamental 5: The Formula for Quality Instruction.” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/Fundamental5 
• Now at the Apple App Store: Fun 5 Timer (Fundamental 5 Delivery Tool); PowerWalks CLC (Networked Formative Observation Tool) 
• Upcoming Presentations: LYS / TASSP Advanced Leadership Academy (Keynote); The 4^th Annual Fundamental 5 National Summit (Keynote) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

Top LYS Tweets From the Week of June 19, 2016

If you are not following @LYSNation on Twitter, then you missed the Top 10 LYS Tweets from the week of June 19, 2016 when they were first posted.  And if you are on Twitter, you might want to check out the Tweeters who made this week’s list.

1. Congratulations to LYSer, Dr. Darin Jolly! He is the new Superintendent in North Hopkins ISD!! Who will be next? (By @LYSNation)

2. Congratulations to LYSer, Dr. Cazilda Steele! She is the new Executive Director of Secondary Curriculum & Instruction in Katy ISD!! Who will be next? (By @LYSNation)

3. If you want to achieve something badly enough, no one can stop you. If you don't want to do something, no one can force you. (By @vhsaldana)

4. People are drawn to black and white opinions because they are simple, not because they are true. Truth demands serious effort and thought. (By @LeadershipCures)

5. We cannot create time...we must prioritize, sacrifice and give up some things! (By @CoachJimBoone)

6. When we feel mentally torn between two ideas or two courses of action, we become more cognitively flexible. Conflict produces creativity! (By @anniemurphypaul)

7. It takes time to create excellence. If it could be done so quickly, more people would do it. – John Wooden (By @SportsMotto)

8. “It's not merely OK to make learning exciting, it's essential - the brain doesn’t pay attention to boring things.” (By @DrRichAllen)

9. Researchers at the University of Sussex found that just six minutes of reading per day can reduce stress levels by 68%. (By @tgrierhisd)

10. Uncommitted people gravitate toward other uncommitted people because they love to remind each other why it's everyone else's fault. (By @RobertShipley2)

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “The Fundamental 5: The Formula for Quality Instruction.” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/Fundamental5 
• Now at the Apple App Store: Fun 5 Timer (Fundamental 5 Delivery Tool); PowerWalks CLC (Networked Formative Observation Tool) 
• Upcoming Presentations: LYS / TASSP Advanced Leadership Academy (Keynote); The 4^th Annual Fundamental 5 National Summit (Keynote) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

A Principal Shares... The Power of Coaching

A LYS Principal shares the result of working with a LYS Coach this year.

SC,

I want you to know that Barbara Fine (LYS Legend, Icon and Coach) has really helped me and the staff turn our school around.  We are finally functioning as a school should function.  We are having significantly more success with our students with first instruction and we did not need to have one after school academic camp this year. Just spot tutoring by teachers when they felt the need.  There is sense urgency not just evident by administrators, but also by teachers.

I know that we are now doing what needs to be done to prepare our students for greatness.  This was never more apparent than on the last day of school when every child leaving us had tears. In the past I have seen crying, but this year every child walking out was crying.  It gave me chills.

Thank you and thanks Barbara!

SC Response

Incredible! It really sounds like you and your team have finally turned the corner.  

Just keep reminding your staff that now it is time to kick it into high gear and take advantage of the momentum that has been built.

Enjoy your Summer!

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “The Fundamental 5: The Formula for Quality Instruction.” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/Fundamental5 
• Now at the Apple App Store: Fun 5 Timer (Fundamental 5 Delivery Tool); PowerWalks CLC (Networked Formative Observation Tool) 
• Upcoming Presentations: LYS / TASSP Advanced Leadership Academy (Keynote); The 4^th Annual Fundamental 5 National Summit (Keynote) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

Does Class Size Matter

School board members and superintendents often ask me my opinion on class size.  I have read the research and understand the theory behind the class size argument, but my answer is much more practical and is based on the situation.

Situation 1 (The Small School): In most small schools, class size really isn’t an issue. In many small schools, most of the classrooms have anywhere from 15 to 20 students in them at any given time.  This represents a considerable expense to the district.  The Superintendent realizes that class size can be increased to the range of 18-24, and all of a sudden the budget is balanced.  Then teachers and principals start screaming (understandably), and the Superintendent and the Board (understandably) get cold feet. 

My Answer: The measurable impact on adding six students to an already small class is negligible.  Increase the class size and spend the savings on raises for instructional staff, instructional tools and training.

Situation 2 (The Struggling School): The school is struggling, average class size is between 20 to 25, and leadership has to do something. The act of reducing class size will make a big splash. 

My Answer: If instruction is poor in a bigger class, reducing class size just means that there will be poor instruction in a smaller class.  But now it will costs more per student to deliver that poor instruction. Plus, if the reduced class size is still above 13, the reduction in class size is unlikely to make a measurable impact.  Instead, take the budget to be spent on hiring more teachers and spend that money on raises for instructional staff, instructional tools, and training.

Nine time out of ten, reducing class size is an empty exercise.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “The Fundamental 5: The Formula for Quality Instruction.” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/Fundamental5 
• Now at the Apple App Store: Fun 5 Timer (Fundamental 5 Delivery Tool); PowerWalks CLC (Networked Formative Observation Tool) 
• Upcoming Presentations: LYS / TASSP Advanced Leadership Academy (Keynote); The 4^th Annual Fundamental 5 National Summit (Keynote) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

A Superintendent Shares... The Problem is Us.

A LYS Superintendent shares the following:

LYS Nation,

I recently moved to a new district, to serve as the new Superintentent.  It was soon brought to my attention by coaching staff that my son was not going along with the athletic program.  Of course I spoke with my son, told him it was important for him to be compliant and to set an example for other athletes.  I was really pretty hard on him for pulling such a stunt in the first place.  So, the next afternoon after arriving at home I asked how the workout went.  He said he didn't workout.  I was furious.  I was very disappointed in my son and I wanted answers.  My son quickly explained that since it was game day the coaches were busy so the non-varsity athletes simply played dodge ball.

Ok, so the coaches expect kids to toe the line, and I expect my son to be a role model, but the adults decide to take a day off and let the athletes play dodge ball? 

My new district is considered (by both the state and myself) low performing. We have to set an example of hard work, every day, every minute.  There can be no free time, loafing, not showing up to class on time, ice cream socials at central office, when we are not adequately educating the students in our charge. This district has a culture that does not instill consistent values of hard work in students.  But how can it, when we the adults do not model hard work?  The result is our climate is suffering, and of course both academic and athletic success is considerably lower than the full potential of our students.  We have work to do, and it starts with modeling expectations and work ethic.

As Cain famously says, “Adult Practice Drives Student Performance.”  I can promise you until we start to live up to this in my new district the engrained habit of blaming kids is now officially over.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “The Fundamental 5: The Formula for Quality Instruction.” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/Fundamental5 
• Now at the Apple App Store: Fun 5 Timer (Fundamental 5 Delivery Tool); PowerWalks CLC (Networked Formative Observation Tool) 
• Upcoming Presentations: LYS / TASSP Advanced Leadership Academy (Keynote); The 4^th Annual Fundamental 5 National Summit (Keynote) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook